Novak Djokovic has been profiling his potential opponents ahead of the Australian Open semi-final.
Having breezed past Taylor Fritz after a tough opening two sets, despite breaking an unwanted record, the Serbian is now looking ahead to the two men who will fight for the pleasure of facing him in the next round.
Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner have enjoyed vastly differing runs to this stage of the competition, with the latter having cruised to the quarter-finals without having lost a set.
But what did Djokovic have to say about the pair? We take a closer look…
What did Novak Djokovic say about Jannik Sinner?
Speaking directly after his triumphant win over Fritz, the world number one was highly complimentary of both of the players.
After all, whoever is to face him will have more than enough quality to challenge him, although it often takes the match of some people’s lives to actually defeat him.
Fortunately, for Sinner in particular, the 36-year-old is under the impression that he is in the form of his young career.
Speaking live on Eurosport, Djokovic noted: ‘Both Sinner and Rublev are in great form.
‘I watched Rublev vs De Minaur the other night, five sets, some of the quickest and most gruelling exchanges I have seen on Rod Laver in many years. They both played incredible tennis.
‘Sinner is playing the tennis of his life. He had a fantastic ending to last season and we had a couple of great encounters, also in the Davis Cup, very close ones going 7-6, 7-5 in the third so I can always expect him to play at the highest level.’
Jannik Sinner is a real contender
With the Italian clearly earning higher praise from the 24-time Grand Slam champion, it is fair to say that he would pose a far greater threat to Djokovic’s Melbourne dominance.
Especially after their encounters at the back end of last season, which saw Sinner topple Djokovic twice in both the group stage of the Nitto ATP Finals and later in the Davis Cup.
His speed and phenomenal shot-making make for an interesting challenge to the legendary veteran, who has struggled in the past to keep up with the energy and relentless running of Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner is set to promise much of the same, but he must first bypass the fearsome forehand of Rublev to take his place in the semi-final.
But, with his current form impressing the masses, including Djokovic himself, there is no reason to think that the 22-year-old is anything other than a massive contender for the Australian Open.
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